FIG. 1 is a system level block representation of a computer 112 attached to a local printer 108. A local application 100 running on the computer 112 receives an input 116 from a user (not shown). Use of the local application 100 results in an internal representation 118 being produced within the application 100, and this can be stored as a print file 102. The nature of the internal representation 118, and the paint files 102, will depend upon the specifics of the local application 100. Therefore, if the local application 100 is a word processor for example, the internal representation 118 and the corresponding print files 102 correspond to word processing documents. The internal representation 118 of a document, can be retrieved from a stored print file 102, or be directly produced by interaction with the user as depicted by the arrow 116, and in both instances can be conveyed by means of a printer drive software application 106 to the local printer 109. The print file 102, and its internal representation 118, will be referred to interchangeably in the rest of the specification, the particular meaning intended being clear from the context. The printer driver 106 acts as a mediation software application between the computer 112, and the particular local printer 108 to which the print file 102 is being printed. The printer driver thus enables the local printer to be made compatible with the computer, allowing a printed output 110 to be produced. For general convenience, the computer 112 and local printer system 114 are typically situated in close proximity to each other.
In the event that the computer 112 and local printer system 114 are connected to each other by means of a local area network, or LAN, (not shown), the computer 112 can have at its disposal a number of different printer systems 114. In such an event, a number of different types of local printer can be connected to the LAN, and the computer 112 requires a specific printer driver 106 for each different printer 108. At least two problems are apparent in the aforementioned arrangement. In the first instance, a possibly large number of printer drivers must be installed on the computer so that the various printer facilities available on the LAN can be accessed. Secondly, the user of the computer is typically unaware of new devices which have been added to the LAN, or disconnected from the LAN. Consequently, the user is unable to take advantage of any new capabilities which may have been added, and is also not fully updated as to which capabilities may have been removed.